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Two Great Aviation Events – AOPA Aviation Summit and NBAA 2011

24 Aug , 2011 No Comments

The aviation trade show season is upon us and the I hope that you’ll plan on joining me at two great aviation events which are happening soon.

The first is the 2011 AOPA (Airplane Owners & Pilots Association) Aviation Summit which is being held in Hartford, Connecticut from September 22nd-24th.  I’ll be speaking at this event regarding utilizing general aviation aircraft for business purposes.  You can find out more information and register this event by visiting:  https://www.aopa.org/summit/

The next event is the 2011 NBAA (National Business Aviation Association) 64th Annual Meeting & Convention which is being held in fabulous Las Vegas, Nevada from October 10th-12th.  I’m an avid fan of the great work the folks at the NBAA do each day to promote the use of general aviation and know this will be a fantastic event.  You can find out more information and register for this event by visiting:  https://www.nbaa.org/events/amc/2011/

I’ll see you soon at both of these not-to-be-missed aviation events in Hartford and Las Vegas!

Countdown to Landing in All 48 Lower States in My Cirrus

14 Aug , 2011 2 Comments

Update: I’ve completed my coast-to-coast adventure!  There’s a new blog post available by clicking here which will take you to a flight map I created using pictures from each of the lower 48 states.  It also includes my commentary on Brad’s Flying Adventure Across America.

Here’s my original posting of this blog entry:

This morning I’m departing the Denver area for meetings throughout the Northwestern US.   The adventure will take five days and will last until next Friday when I return to Denver for a few days before heading back to Florida.

I’m no stranger to traveling extensively, but this trip is different.  Upon landing in the state of Washington, I will have landed at all 48 lower United States in my Cirrus SR22 aircraft!

I’ll be updating my progress over the next few days as I knock the final states off my list.

Update #1: Time for liftoff… The adventure begins!

Update #2: Three down, only two more to go!  Beautiful flying throughout the mountains in Montana today.  You can click on the pictures below to make them larger.

Update #3: Forty-seven down, only one to go!  Victory is in sight!

Update #4: Victory at last!  As the wheels of my Cirrus SR22 gently touched the runway surface in Washington State, it felt wonderful knowing I had just completed my goal of landing my Cirrus in all 48 lower United States.

Final Update: I’ll be providing another post with a much more detailed recap of my adventure to across America within the next few days.  It’s been an amazing ride and I really look forward to sharing it.  Tonight however, I’ll be putting down the laptop (and the airplane keys) to have a celebratory dinner instead.  Rest assured though, tomorrow I’ll be right back in the cockpit, headed back across the magnificent Rockies to see the great folks at XJet as I start making my way back east.

Safe and Sound: Safe and sound back in the beautiful XJet hanger in Denver, Colorado!

Bonus Picture: I couldn’t resist sharing this amazing picture which I took as I crossed over the border of Utah into Colorado at 17,000 feet.  You can click on the picture below to make it larger.

My Next Plane is… The Cirrus SF50 Vision Jet

27 Jul , 2011 No Comments

Now that the CAIGA-Cirrus merger is complete, I’m very optimistic that the production schedule for the new Cirrus SF50 Vision Jet will get a big boost.  I’m currently #75 in line for delivery once production begins and I couldn’t be more excited.  They already have a test aircraft in operation which is stunning, both in appearance and performance.  This aircraft is a game-changer – providing a true owner flown personal jet at with an operating envelope that’s well suited for this environment.  My current Turbo Cirrus SR22 has been an incredible asset to my business and I have no doubt the Cirrus SF50 Vision Jet will help to take it to even greater heights – and get there even faster than ever!

Below is a quick video showing off this beautiful aircraft.  Soon it will be more than a vision, it will be a reality…

43 States in My Cirrus… Only 5 More to Go!

22 Jul , 2011 No Comments

Brad Pierce Cirrus Flight Map 43 States

Update:  I’ve completed my coast-to-coast adventure!  There’s an new blog post available by clicking here which will take you to a flight map I created using pictures from each of the lower 48 states.  It also includes my commentary on Brad’s Flying Adventure Across America.

Here’s my original posting of this blog entry:

Anyone who knows me knows that I love my Cirrus!  It’s been an incredible business tool which has taken my company to new heights, but it’s also provided an amazing view of our country along the way.  I recently realized that an upcoming business trip out to the far Northwest United States in just a few very short weeks will conclude my journey to all 48 continental states.  I’ve certainly met some great people along the way and have had some incredible adventures.  My Cirrus has not only made these trips possible, but has also made them extremely comfortable and enjoyable beyond what words alone can describe.  I could go into more details, but I’ll save those for my next posting when all 48 are inked in my logbook.  My goal is in sight, my Cirrus is fueled and ready to go.  Soon it will be time to lift off for a slew of successful business meetings and completion of my flight map, reminding me of how fortunate I’ve been to have such an amazing experience.

Feel free to click on the map above to make it larger.

NBAA Business Aviation Insider – Light Airplane Part of Company’s Recipe for Success

28 Sep , 2010 1 Comment

I recently had the honor of being featured in the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) Business Aviation Insider Magazine.  This story illustrates my use of our company’s Cirrus SR22 Turbo aircraft to reach out to our customers and provide world class service at a moments notice.  At a time when many businesses are sitting on the porch waiting  for business to improve, we’re actually making it happen by visiting and connecting with our customers.  Anyone who knows me knows that I absolutely love technology – yet, I’m also a very firm believer that there’s no amount of technology that can replace the value of a face-to-face meeting.  Personal relationships are paramount to our success and our business aircraft enables allows us to take those relationships to new heights time and time again.

Here’s a little “behind the scenes” look at what went into the making of this article:   I met with a very talented individual named Dan Hubbard who conducted the interview for this story.  Dan is NBAA’s Senior Vice President of Communications and does his job extremely well.  He’s got the ability to ask thought provoking questions to elicit meaningful responses which truly get to the heart of the story.  In a matter of minutes I felt like I was having a conversation about business aviation with an old friend instead of doing a magazine interview.  The result speaks for itself as you read through how well the article turned out.  Dan was accompanied by Morgan Anderson of Morgan Anderson Photography who took the phenomenal shots you’ll see in the article.  Morgan estimated that he took over 1,000 shots over the course of an all day photo shoot.  Morgan is one of the best in the business and clearly loves what he does.  From the moment I met him until the time when we parted ways he constantly had multiple cameras snapping away amazing pictures.  Just like Dan, I found Morgan to be very friendly and really enjoyed spending time with him.  After a tour of our corporate headquarters in the morning, we headed over to Showalter Flying Service at Orlando Executive Airport.  The great folks at Showalter were extremely gracious allowing us the use of a conference room facility as well as their front ramp for the photo shoot.  Soon, we loaded up our bags and took off in the Cirrus headed to Atlanta together for a business meeting I needed to attend.  This allowed me to demonstrate my real-world use of business aviation which allowed us to have a full productive day in Orlando and less than two hours later be all the way up in Atlanta headed to a business meeting.  This type of productivity simply wouldn’t have been possible at any price without the use of a business aircraft.  While this article is unique, the story of our use of business aviation aircraft isn’t.  Each and every week we use our aircraft to reach out and get more business done.  The destinations change, but the end result is the same – business aviation simply works for growing a successful business.

You can read the complete article in the NBAA Business Aviation Insider Magazine.

The article is also available:

Online:  https://www.nbaa.org/news/insider/2010/0710/restaurant-equipment-world.php

In PDF Form:  https://www.bradleypierce.com/NBAA%20-%20Insider%20-%20Brad%20Pierce%20-%20REW.pdf

I hope that you enjoy reading the article as much as I enjoyed participating in the creation of it.  Again, a special thanks to NBAA, Dan Hubbard, Morgan Anderson, and all of the great staff at Showalter Flying Service for making this article a reality.